Carl Fogarty and Richard Hammond lead biker rally for charity

Carl Fogarty and Richard Hammond led 5,000 bikes in a rally for charity. Credit: Matthew Cooper/PA Wire

World Superbike champion Carl Fogarty and Top Gear star Richard Hammond have led 5,000 motorbikes at a charity rally to raise money for the Midlands Air Ambulance.

Fogarty, riding a Ducati scrambler, and Hammond, astride a "boring" BMW R1200RT, both praised the work of the ambulance service before setting off on the charity's fifth annual Bike4Life fundraiser.

The Bike4Life event is also designed to promote road safety. Credit: Matthew Cooper/PA Wire

About 5,000 bikers turned out to join the 23-mile ride-out from Shrewsbury to the Bike4Life festival at RAF Cosford.

Before the rally, Hammond was also asked if he had any news on the future of the BBC's Top Gear programme following the sacking of Jeremy Clarkson.

Hammond told reporters: "Everybody knows what's happened. That's all been in the news. The future, nobody knows yet do they?

"And I cannot and won't speculate further than that. So don't know, let's see. It'll be exciting whatever."